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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $300.00| Rating: 8

Pros:

Good reach, works flawlessly with top-quality glass

Cons:

Not as sharp as 1.4TC

I would rate the 1.4TC as the only TC that will yield excellent results across the board. The 1.7 is a good compromise, but dont expect it to yield tack-sharp results on every lens. You need to stop many lenses down at least two stops when using this TC to achieve max sharpness. For instance, it does NOT function well with the 70-200VR when used wide open at full zoom. You need to either back off the zoom or stop the lens down to achieve really sharp images. You can see more extensive tests I conducted here:http://zaps21.com/photo/TC17tests/TC17tests.htm

It works very well with the 300mm/F4, and all the top-quality primes, but I would stay away from it on the zooms if you are going to be using them at the long end.

zalan

Registered: December 2006Posts: 4

Nikon 1.7X AF-S TC-17E II review by zalan

Review Date: 12/5/2006

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $450.00| Rating: 8

Pros:

good compromise

Cons:

jack of all trades, master of none

I only tried this teleconverter on my 70-200 VR, so all the comments are about this combination. My feelings are a bit mixed about this TC. I'm not happy with the wide open or near wide open performance, but stopping the lens down will eliminate most of the problems and it brings out the magic from the 70-200 VR. At f4.8 it is very soft, the contrast is noticably lower than usual and I see some chromatic aberration, around f8 the lens becomes very usable and at f11 it is excellent again. Personally I need the reach for shooting wildlife (mostly birds) and I was hoping that adding a TC to my telephoto will give me an affordable and perfectly fine solution. At f8 (which I consider the starting point due to performance issues mentioned before) it is a slow lens, I have shutter speed problems regularly, and also the isolating capabilities are not as good as I hoped since the depth of field is quite big.

mrtim

Registered: December 2006Posts: 3

Nikon 1.7X AF-S TC-17E II review by mrtim

Review Date: 12/5/2006

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $400.00| Rating: 8

Pros:

good magnification factor, sharp

Cons:

expensive, only works with pro lenses

I have found this to be an excellent compromise between a 1.4 and a 2.0 TC. I didn't think that the 1.4 added enough focal length to be worth it, despite the excellent image quality. The 2.0s provide more focal length, but cost substantially in both light and sharpness.

This TC is an excellent companion to my 70-200VR. The reduced sharpness is barely noticable; if I stop down to 5.6 or so I don't see it at all. Going from 200mm to 340mm, though, often makes all the difference. I have used it shooting both animals and sporting events where a little more reach was required, and have always been pleased with the results.